Editor’s note: Reporting is based on unofficial data and is accurate as of 5:00 p.m., Nov. 7.
“When I left at five o’clock there were over 800 people from the community that showed up to vote today,” Councilwoman Jennifer Ravert said during Tuesday’s Slippery Rock Borough Council meeting.
By the end of the night, 1,241 ballots were cast, resulting in a voter turnout of 68.5% in Slippery Rock Borough. This was a four percent increase from 2020. Voter turnout in Slippery Rock Township was also up from 2020, reaching 69.26%. Both fall within Pennsylvania’s 2020 range of 66-73% across the state.
On Election Day, Borough President John Campbell and Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo also commented on the increased turnout in Slippery Rock Borough on Tuesday election.
“They were lined up clear out to the parking lot,” Campbell said. “I noticed a lot of young people coming out.”
“I never seen it like this,” Mayor Jondavid Longo added. “Lots of engagement.”
How Slippery Rock, Butler County voted in the presidential race
Aside from increased engagement, Slippery Rock Borough has been a bellwether in terms of presidential elections, choosing the winner every time since 2008. The same rings true with residents choosing former Republican President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Slippery Rock Borough has been a bellwether in terms of presidential elections, choosing the winner every time since 2008. The same rings true in 2024 with residents choosing Trump.
Slippery Rock Borough residents chose Trump with 53.96% of the vote, tallying 668 votes, while Harris trailed with 44.59% of the vote, tallying 552 votes.
The results from the 2024 presidential race were a direct flip from 2020, where Slippery Rock Borough residents voted in favor of President Joe Biden. Biden received 53.21% of the vote versus Trump’s 44.74%.
In 2020 borough residents also voted in favor of now Governor Democrat Josh Shapiro for attorney general as well as Democrat Ninah Ahmad for auditor general. In fact, not a single Republican candidate who was challenged in a statewide election won in Slippery Rock Borough in 2020. Although all down-ballot races were within two points, Democrats managed to sweep Slippery Rock Borough for state elections in 2020.
The trend is also in contrast from Trump’s first presidential victory in 2016 where borough residents voted in favor of Trump by 0.65% against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
2024 showed increased support for Trump and Republicans across the ballot with both the borough and township.
Slippery Rock Township residents overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2024, according to Butler County’s official website. Trump won 62.58%, or 1,393, of the township votes. Harris received 36.39%, or 810, of the votes.
Butler County also chose Trump with 66% of the vote with Harris earning the remaining 33%. 2016 and 2020 saw almost identical numbers with few shifts overall.
The only precinct Harris won in Butler County in 2024 was Cranberry West Township 2. The precinct split the ticket with Harris taking the vote for the presidency and McCormick taking the vote for the senate, a notable irregularity and instance specifically across suburbs, according to Associated Press data.
How Slippery Rock voted in Pennsylvania specific elections
Scott E. Hutchinson won an uncontested race for senator in the Pennsylvania general assembly. Tim Bonner also won an uncontested race for representative in the Pennsylvania general assembly. Both received over 95% of the vote in their districts.
Republicans remain in control of Pennsylvania’s State Senate earning 28 seats to the Democrat’s 22. The Pennsylvania State House is still up for grabs. The GOP currently has 101 guaranteed seats compared to the Democrats 100. The deciding race for the Pennsylvania State House is in Cambria County with a race between incumbent Democrat Frank Burns and Republican Amy Bradley. Although Trump won Cambria County, Burns leads the race at 53% to Bradley’s 47%. Cambria County remains the final county in Pennsylvania to name its State House race due to a malfunction with voting machines, pushing voting back to 10 p.m. on Election Day. Roughly two-thirds of the votes were cast at the time of publication.
Mike Kelly defeated Preston Nouri for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. Kelly won in Slippery Rock Township with 63.89% of the vote versus Nouri’s 35.70%. The race was closer in Slippery Rock Borough showing a 55.79% vote for Kelly and 44.04% vote for Nouri. Kelly earned 63.9% of the total vote in Pennsylvania’s 16th District with Nouri receiving the remaining 36.1%.
The race for Attorney General was called Thursday with Dave Sunday enjoying a four-point victory over Eugene DePasquale. Sunday won the race with 50.9% of the vote while DePasquale trailed with 46.1%. All but seven counties including Allegheny, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia, voted for Sunday and emphasized urban-rural splits shown in Associated Press data. Every county, except for Monroe, Lehigh, Centre voted for Sunday in a margin over five points.
The next Auditor General of Pennsylvania will be Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor with 51% of the vote defeating Democrat Malcom Kenyatta at 46%. Incumbent Stacy Garrity also won reelection with 52.1% of the vote against Democrat Erin McClelland’s 45.6%.
For United States Senate race results and how Slippery Rock and Butler County voted between incumbent Senator Bob Casey challenger Dave McCormick, click here.
